As promised in a previous Inside BlackBerry for Business blog post, BlackBerry remains committed to offering our customers compatibility with the latest Microsoft technologies. With the release of this BES update we are excited to announce support and certification of Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 as well as Microsoft Windows Server 2012. We’ll continue to update our compatibility matrix with the latest certifications to ensure that our customers keep getting the most from their BlackBerry technology.

We know that many organizations use Microsoft Lync instant messaging for collaboration and communication. With this update, we’re providing updated BlackBerry enterprise instant messaging to include support for Microsoft Lync 2013. We also intend to announce BlackBerry 10 support for Microsoft Office Communication Server 2007 R2, Microsoft Lync 2010, and Microsoft Lync 2013. BlackBerry will continue to ensure that our customers can instantly collaborate securely on a number of platforms.

If you’ve got a BlackBerry Enterprise Server, the good news is that there’s a simple upgrade path to the new BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, which allows administrators to manage existing BlackBerry devices and new BlackBerry 10 devices, along with iOS and Android devices from one unified console. Get more information at www.blackberry.com/bes10.

Many businesses and IT departments are looking forward to deploying Microsoft® Exchange 2013. Flexible options, hybrid deployments, cloud offerings, and efficiencies are all compelling features that encourage the shift. But, it’s important to take stock of your infrastructure and make plans for a smooth upgrade.

We remain dedicated to the support of our enterprise customers as they move to Microsoft Exchange 2013 and we’re working closely with Microsoft to ensure that we are aligned to certify BlackBerry Enterprise Server v5.0 Service Pack 4 for compatibility with Exchange 2013. RIM will continue to update our compatibility matrix with the latest compatibility certifications. We also intend to announce support for Exchange 2013 in 2 phases, the first for native Exchange 2013 environments and the second for mixed-mode Exchange environments aligned with Microsoft support plans.

For Exchange 2013 customers, BlackBerry 7 OS and prior devices will be supported via BES v5.0 Service Pack 4 and continue to utilize the MAPI interfaces exposed by Microsoft (Exchange 2013 customers will need to install Microsoft’s updated MAPI/CDO Download for Exchange 2013 for compatibility upon release by Microsoft).

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, and BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, will also be compatible with Microsoft Exchange 2013, as they utilize Microsoft ActiveSync protocols. We’re all about helping tackle future challenges and opportunities when it comes to enterprise mobility management, and Microsoft Exchange 2013 support is just one of those opportunities that we know many of you are looking to take advantage of.

Have questions about Microsoft Exchange 2013 support? Share in the comments below.